CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. The True Woman's Kingdom: the Home.
Sacredness of the family home 2
Woman's love, its light and warmth 4
Supernatural virtues in the Christian home 5
A living faith 5
How Christian mothers can imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary 8
Piety. Purity of intention 10
Illustrated from home life of the early Christians 11
CHAPTER II. The Home Virtues — (continued).
Hospitality 17
Holiness 19
Innocence of conversation 21
What the home ought not to be 21
CHAPTER III. How the Home can be made a Paradise.
How the poor man's home is made delightful 23
Unselfishness in the wife 24
Make your home bright and sunny 25
Dark and cheerless homes created by selfishness 27
Sad consequences of this in labourers' homes 28
Consequences in a wealthy home 29
CHAPTER IV. Further Illustrations of Selfishness and Unselfishness.
The example of St. Elzcar and his wife, St. Delphine 34
St. John Colouibino converted by his patient wife 35
Example of an angelic girl: What she did for her father and brother 36
CHAPTER V. The Wife in tlie Christian Home.
The Christian home a sanctuary blessed by the Church 47
Guarded by angels 49
Woman's duties as wife 50
To be her husband's companion 50
To be her husband's helpmate 54
Help in the wealthy home 55
Help in the labourer's home 55
To be her husband's friend and saviour 57
CHAPTER VI. The Wife as the Treasurer of the Home.
Man's province to provide for the home: Woman's to dispense the treasures of the home 61
Economy of time ; Order, comfort, loveliness 62
Stewardship of the wealthy wife 63
Two extremes to be avoided 66
She dispenses hospitality 67
An American wife ; an ideal home 69
The wife as the friend of the poor 73
Spirit of charity in Catholic countries 74
The lofty ideal of Catholic Spain 76
That of Catholic Germany — St. Elizabeth of Hungary 78
Habitual practice of reverence recommended in the home, and towards the poor 81
Beautiful example of a French peasant girl 81
Of French-Canadian women in 1847 84
Crowning instance: the ship-carpenter's wife 86
CHAPTER VII. The Wife's Crowning Duty: Fidelity.
Solicitude of the Church for the honour of the home 91
Conjugal fidelity illustrated 95
Rebecca 97
Judith 97
Anna, the Prophetess 98
Fidelity to the living intended here 99
Rules: Reserve and secrecy 100
Friendships that are baneful 101
Remedies in danger and trial 102
Imperative necessity of supernatural virtue to women sorely tried 104
Example of fidelity: The child- wife 106
Vanity, the path to dishonour 112
The home-pleasures which are a safeguard 113
Honour the tree of life in the home paradise 115
CHAPTER VIII. The Mother.
Supernatural methods of the true mother 118
Share of the Divine Spirit in the work of education 123
Other qualities in the mother's government 127
Consistency. Perfect truthfulness 128
Happy effects of early habits of truthfulness 129
Justice—kindness—gentleness 130
Self-control 132
Never correct in a passion 134
Win the hearts of your children 135
Importance of this 136
CHAPTER IX. The Mother's Office towards Childhood.
What a child is in the sight of God 140
The soul of childhood 142
The mind of childhood 144
How it is to be cultivated: a beautiful example 145
Joyousness and love of enjoyment 149
How nature is to be made lovely to the child 151
Make the child see everywhere God and his angels 152
Never, at any moment, repel your children 153
Faith and trust in a mother's love are the breath of life for her children 153
The mother is the keeper of her children's hearts 155
How a solid religions character is built up 156
Be invariably cheerful 157
Be pitiless towards uncharitableness 159
CHAPTER X. The Mother's Office towards Boyhood and Girlhood.
The boys and girls in the labourer's home 164
Courage and generosity of labouring women 165
How firmly they can count on Christ's assistance 166
Other treasures found in such homes 169
Their children to be taught the dignity of labour 171
To be kept joyous 171
To be stimulated by praise 171
Their mother should be gentle, low- voiced, and patient 172
What kind of independence they are to be given 174
Extreme care in choosing companions for them 176
CHAPTER XI. Formation of Boyhood and Girlhood — (continued).
Simplicity in dress and sobriety in food 179
Sense of duty to be inculcated very early 181
And sedulously cultivated 182
Cultivate the hearts of your children 183
Children are not born but made heartless 186
Heartlessness is but full-blown selfishness 188
Examples of heartlessness: a heartless girl 188
A heartless wife and husband 191
CHAPTER XII. Culture of the Heart — (continued).
The rich treasures and mighty moral forces undeveloped in the heart of youth 200
Even in the hearts of the poor 201
Instance: Madame Barat, Foundress of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart 202
Education a creation 205
Create in tho heart of childhood and boyhood generosity in conquering self 208
Generosity in the exercise of the home-charities 210
Reverence and devotion towards sick parents and others 213
Forbearance towards the aged and infirm 214
Generosity in forgetting one's aches to please others 215
A beautiful instance of it 216
Generosity in practising the out-door charities 219
A patriarchal family and its charities 220
Make not the bread of hospitality bitter 222
CHAPTER XIII. Special Training for Girls and Boys
I.
What is special in the training of girls 224
Simplicity in dress 228
Suitability in dress not extravagance 231
Passion for dress and passion for light reading 233
"What girls should read 233
Special religious topics: Modern errors 235
What girls should not read 237
Teach them the value of time 239
Minutes the golden sands of time 242
"Odd moments "and their use 244
Practice of devotion: Careful choice of them 245
Their significance to be carefully explained 246
The mother's guidance with respect to matrimony 248
With respect to vocations to religious life 250
II.
Special care needed in educating boys 251
Ground them in true piety — the foundation of true manliness 252
It is the ideal of true manhood 254
Its characteristics: The oath and rules of chivalry 257
Fearlessness in the cause of Truth: St. Columbanus 259
"Be the Soldier of Truth! No Struggle, no Crown! No Liberty, no Honour or Dignity!" 260
Teach your sons to be their Bisters' willing servants 261
Home-bred courtesy — its necessity and value 263
Noble courtesy of Catholic country-folk 263
In Portugal 263
In Spain 265
Do not allow your daughters to make themselves their brothers' servants 266
Let your home be the centre of amusement for your sons 268
Be their constant companion in their outdoor amusements 269
What a divine work the education of a single child is 270
One easy to the poor mother 271
And easy to the wealthy mother 272
Let your sons be God-fearing and self-reliant 273
The profession of truth ; and truth in our actions 275
CHAPTER XIV. Duties towards Parents and Servants.
I.
The ancient patriarchal authority still a living institution 277
Filial piety the religion of sweetest gratitude 279
Kindness to parents-in-law 282
A heroic example 283
II.
The Christian idea of service 289
Win your servants' hearts 291
The Catholic Golden Rule: Do them all the good you can, and make them as good as you can 293
Care of servants' souls in Catholic countries 295
"If you would be loved, love" 297
The tie of household charity loosened in modern society 298
Unite a motherly interest with reserve 300
Encourage them to consult you and trust in you 301
Do not judge them hastily 302
Try to make them comfortable, to refine and elevate them 302
Do not overburden them with work 303
In sickness care for them tenderly 304
Praise them generously, but justly 306
How servants repay kindness 307
CHAPTER XV. Obstacles to the Right Government of the Home.
The ideal home, which united hearts and wills create 308
Make your home an hereditary home 311
Obstacles to the wife's good government 313
In the wealthy home 315
In the poor home 320
CHAPTER XVI. The Mistress of the Borne, and her Social Duties.
Twofold meaning of the word "Society" 322
The "Woman of the World" and the "Worldly Woman" 324
Need of true Christian women in the world 327
Importance their social duties 328
Good effected by such women in Europe 330
Charity and religion promoted by social gatherings 331
Work of the woman of the world outside of her home 334
Part of the working-man's wife 335
How the good work together 336
CHAPTER XVII. Maidenhood.
Girlhood of the Virgin Mother, its model 340
Her public life, a guide for the trials of womanhood 341
Girls reared in affluence and forced to labour 343
Superior virtue developed in adversity: Instances 343
Lady companions: their hard lot 347
Guidance for them 348
An ideal example of their influence 350
Rules for the direction of governesses 360
School-teachers: they must be guided by the same rules 369
Thorough training needed: Normal schools in England 370
Not to be satisfied with a low standard of excellence 370
Should be well remunerated 372
Special advice to teachers 372
CHAPTER XVIII. The Toilers of the Shop and the Loom.
The divine comforts of poverty and toil 375
Toilers in the shop: Their abject servitude 376
Hard lot of dressmakers 379
Advice to dressmakers and saleswomen 379
Woman in manufactures 381
The brilliant side of modern industry 382
Its hideous side 383
Godless and conscienceless industry a foul plague-spot 385
The Ancient Church the helper of women 386
Appeal against heartless industry 387
It cuts down the tree to gather the fruit 388
It destroys the child, the woman, and the home 389
A European statesman on factory women 389
Remedial measures from religion 393
CHAPTER XIX.
Supplementary 401

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